Ascension: MiniseriesReview

Warning: Full spoilers from Ascension's entire three-night run to follow.

Truth be told, I wasn't expecting much from Syfy's latest science fiction miniseries Ascension. I'd been burned by a lot of space operas in the past. (Virtuality, Defying Gravity, I'm looking at you.) Regardless, Ascension sucked me in almost immediately with a compelling murder mystery and a faux-crane shot set to Elton John's "Rocket Man." And while the new show definitely had its flaws and tropes, it made a strong first impression that kept me wanting more after it was over.

Of course, when a show has numerous twists and turns like this, it can be tricky to keep viewers' attention. In sci-fi especially, too much game-changing can mean death for a high concept. Just going off the initial reaction I saw online, even the first major twist -- that the USS Ascension never actually launched -- seemed to turn some people off. Obviously, that's understandable. I totally get that feeling of betrayal when a show turns into something you didn't sign on for. But for me, Ascension's bait-and-switch was the reason to keep watching. Not only did it turn the show's premise on its head, but it also added a whole other layer to the murder at hand.

Ascension's retro style also earned it points early on. Since the ship was built over 50 years ago, the "time capsule" element was really neat. The clothing, the technology, the social stratification -- they all had a distinct 1960s vibe, and they also fed directly into the plot and character backstories. In my premiere review, I compared Ascension to Firefly in the way that both shows combined two disparate genres -- in this case, a Star Trek/Mad Men hybrid -- to create something entirely unique.

The ensemble cast was also very strong -- at least, the handful of core characters were. Tricia Helfer (a Battlestar Galactica alum) seemed right at home as the manipulative power broker Viondra, who got an awesome promotion to captain in the season finale. Again, this was an instance of "just the right amount of shake-up" and offered a solid ending for her character. Meanwhile, Brian Van Holt as Denninger was also a pleasant surprise, especially since his most notable role prior to this was Bobby on the oh-so funny Cougar Town. Together, Van Holt and Helfer made quite a team, and their couple dynamic was a consistent highlight throughout the series.

Star couple.

Other characters were a mixed bag. The ship's XO Aaron Gault (Brandon P. Bell) and the young Christa (Ellie O'Brien) were fun additions to the story. Christa in particular was a constant source of intrigue, given her unique powers (although Gault also seemed to exhibit his own abilities in the final moments of the show). Meanwhile, characters like Nora Bryce (Jacqueline Byers), James Toback (P.J. Boudousqué), Duke Vanderhaus (Ryan Robbins) and Juliet Bryce (Andrea Roth) were pretty underdeveloped and occasionally annoying.

Then outside you had Harris Enzmann (Gil Bellows), whose cartoon-like tendencies were fleshed out a bit more to make his character more relatable. Alas, the show's most interesting undercover character, Samantha Krueger (Lauren Lee Smith), was unceremoniously killed off in the third episode, leaving her thought-to-be-spacebound cohort John Stokes (Brad Carter) to fend for himself -- which, granted, could be a cool storyline down the line.

Of course, those are the real wildcards of Ascension: the "woulds," "coulds" and "shoulds." As it stands, Ascension has a lot of balls in the air -- literally, in the case of the orb-like "Star Child." Though the miniseries hasn't been picked up to series yet, it would be absolutely essential for the showrunners to know where they're going with it for it to succeed. For example, the finale's big cliffhanger -- the fact that Gault was apparently transported to an alien planet -- was a killer twist and also hinted at actual space exploration later on. However, if not handled properly, those clever turns could ultimately become the show's undoing. (Sorry, Battlestar, but you're proof of this.) The key here will be thinking these things out ahead of time, which if that happens could mean a big win for Ascension, and a return to form for Syfy.

The Verdict

Syfy's Ascension offered a promising start to a potential series, thanks to cool storylines, slick visuals and a handful of great twists. While some characters could have used more development, the core cast is solid, especially Tricia Helfer and Brian Van Holt. It's hard to tell where a show like this could go next, but if Ascension plays its cards right, Syfy could have another hit on its hands.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.